Jan. 29
SCOTLAND/OHIO:
I'll be at the prison gates to hug my boy
Kenny Richeys ailing father wept yesterday as he told of his joy at the
legal victory that has spared his son from execution.
James Richey, who is battling inoperable cancer, said he lives for the day
when his son walks free from Mansfield Correctional Institution in Ohio, a
prospect raised this week when a federal appeals court quashed his
conviction for murder and lifted his death sentence.
"It would mean the world to me to be able to hug my son. I would like that
so much," said Mr Richey, 66, who plans to make the 2,000-mile journey
from his home to the jail once his son is released.
"Ill be there at those gates when he comes out. I just want to wrap my
arms around him and tell him that I love him," he said.
Paying tribute to the hundreds of well-wishers whose support helped carry
his son through 18 years on death row, he added: "If there hadnt been this
level of interest, Kenny Richey would have been spoken about in the past
tense, because he would have been executed a long time ago.
"If it wasnt for the people of Scotland and the lawyers and everybody who
fought for him, my son would be a dead man. God bless them."
Kenny Richey left his home in Edinburgh in 1982 to be with his American
father, who was divorced from his mother and lived in Ohio. 4 year later,
he was sentenced to death for setting fire to the home of a former
girlfriend, whose 2-year-old daughter perished in the blaze.
For years, his father visited him on death row, but they have now not seen
each other since the summer of 2001.
"He had an appeal going through then and we were almost positive we were
going to win that one, so I told Kenny, 'I'm not going to visit any more
until you walk out of that prison.'
"Unfortunately time dragged on, and I've not seen him for going on for
four years," said Mr Richey, who had surgery last year and is undergoing
hormone treatment for advanced prostate cancer. He now lives in Washington
state.
"Kenny tried to call me a couple of days ago, but I was out of the house.
He wanted to give me the good news himself, but I wasnt here for the big
moment. Then my daughter-in-law called me. It sounded too good to be
true."
He added: "Im still in the clouds, this has liberated me. Its about time
somebody realised what a terrible mistake they have made. Thats 18 years
that hes lost of his life. Hes lost his good health, hes missed out on
Christmases, New Years, birthdays - just evenings together with his
family.
"Theres never an opportunity of getting it back, its gone so I can well
imagine how bitter he is."
Kenny Richey, speaking exclusively to The Scotsman from jail on Thursday,
expressed his anger at the deficient handling of his case by his original
defence lawyer, William Kluge, in 1986, calling him a "moron".
However, his father said: "My anger originally was vented on Bill Kluge,
but sinc****e then I have realised how failed our justice system is and so
I dont feel so much animosity towards him as I do pity.
"It's just a shame that he wasted all that money going to law school and
ended up being the plumber who blocked up all the pipes."
Kenny Richey has dismissed the notion that he could enter into a plea
bargain - "It's a matter of honour. No bargains, no deals, no nothing," he
said.
His lawyer, Ken Parsigian, plans to speak to state prosecutors next week
to determine whether they plan to appeal against the court's latest
decision, which could potentially keep him in prison for years, or proceed
to a retrial, which he is confident of winning.
"Its been quite a week, but what case could be more important than this, a
case involving a man's life?" said Mr Parsigian. "I've never had a win as
good as this, and now I've got it I want to keep it."
(source: The Scotsman)
